Three days later:
“Hey, listen, ya’ll. We decided on the new dorm manager.”
Prez brought this up during dinner. As usual, we were in the dining/conference room.
“Accordin’ to the board of directors, the manager we talked about before will be here first thing tomorrow morning. Well, let’s give ‘em a warm welcome.”
“…Eh? Seriously?”
I, representing both the boarding students and the manager, replied in puzzlement.
“Well, we did talk about it, but that was fast… We haven’t had time to prepare, you know? I’m still using the manager’s room, and we don’t know how the ch.o.r.es…”
“They’re just greetin’ us for now, ya know? No need for the fuss. They goin’ to move in first ‘n startin’ the job later.”
“Right…”
“Well, at any rate, the new manager wants to meet us. I think the faster we get to know one another, the better.”
I found myself agreeing with her. This was short notice, but the management here took things one at a time.
“What kind of person is he?”
Akiko raised her hand.
“I asked for a woman when we discussed it before, but…”
“Yeah, I went with yer suggestion. She’s a woman.”
Muu, I see…
That’s too bad. Being surrounded by nothing but girls was a little embarra.s.sing, and if the new manager had been a male… So the male count was going to stay at 1. Maybe this dorm had a penchant for women.
“Can you guarantee that she’s very skilled?”
Ginbei asked this time.
“I requested someone diligent and reliable, but not unpleasant to live with. I wonder how well she fits the bill.”
“Rest a.s.sured, Gingin, she meets all of yer requirements. I already tested her to make sure she’s up to snuff. I couldn’t get’cha interview with her too, but we’re gonna have a trial period. Ye can fire her if her working style’s stickin’ in yer throat.”
“Hmm, excellent. So basically, you followed my requests as much as you could. Very satisfying indeed.”
Ginbei nodded deeply.
She met everyone’s requirements, and it would be fantastic if she was a great manager on top of that. We had to thank prez and the board of directors for this.
“I wonder if my wishes were granted?”
And lastly, Nasuhara-san interjected.
“I’m not concerned about the race or gender, but I believe that I asked for a cute manager.”
“Kukuku. Who do ya think I am? Whenever I say ‘leave it to me’, it usually means I’ll do it.” She’s cute, alright.
While grinning like an hostess club advertiser out on the street, prez puffed up her chest with pride.
But this is a dorm manager, you know? And she found a cute one?
“Well, everyone’s tastes are different, so I wouldn’t know if ya prefer gla.s.ses or somethin’, but… generally speakin’, she’s plenty cute. I doubt I could find anyone who wouldn’t find her cute — she’s that high level — so rest a.s.sured.”
“I understand. Incidentally, is she under 150 cm and 40 kg, as I previously specified?”
“That was no kyabakura interview, ya know? How am I supposed to know those details?”
Even though prez said that, she was grinning. Prez continued:
“Rest a.s.sured. I’d say she meets those standards with plenty of room to spare.”
“I see. Then I must say that I’m relieved. Even for the student council president, your performance is truly commendable.”
Nasuhara-san was expressionless as she gave her rare high praise..
“But prez…” I tilted my head and continued, “All things considered, you did good to find her. Everyone gave you many conditions, and to be frank they were rather arbitrary. I wouldn’t have thought that you could meet them all.”
“Indeed, the new manager is talented.”
Making a self-satisfied face, Prez rubbed her chin and continued:
“And there’s more. She has an amazin’ academic background.She has credits from a well known prestigious academy, and her papers are published in professional magazines, ya know?”
“That’s amazing. She’s beyond our imagination, huh?”
“And when she started writin’ those papers, she was about ten years old.”
“Oooh, isn’t she a genius? Really amazing.”
“And now the best part, she’s from one of j.a.pan’s most famous families. She’s got brains, is good-lookin’, ‘n is even blessed with good lineage. Your picture-perfect princess, eh? Nah, really, I’m relieved I managed to hit such a bullseye.”
“…Rather, is it really alright to have her manage our dorm?”
“Who knows? She said herself that she wanted to, so ain’t it alright?”
If she wanted this, we probably shouldn’t object. Even so, is this really the right place for her? It feels Leonardo da Vinci’s coming to work as a convenience store clerk.
“Well, anyway, that’s how it turned out.”
Prez concluded.
“It’s true dorm manager and us boarding students are in different positions, but we’re still comrades livin’ under the same roof. She’ll probably be tense ‘cause it’s an unfamiliar place filled with strangers, so let’s tactfully welcome her, aight?”
After being told that, I had no objections.
She was so capable that any place would be dying to recruit her, and yet she was coming especially to live and work in this worn-down dorm. Of course we had to welcome her.
…
……
…………
Yeah, that’s how it is.
Somehow I can’t help getting the feeling that she’s moving like I did for various reasons. Is it just me?
It wasn’t just me.
“N-Nice to meet you, everyone.”
The next morning, we greeted the new dorm manager. We met her in the entranceway, and everyone was rendered speechless.
“I’m still inexperienced, but from now on I’ll work as hard as I can. Please take good care of me!”
*bow*.
After bowing politely, she raised her face again. Her expression was tense.
She had childlike face with big eyes, full cheeks, and lips the color of cherry blossoms.Her chestnut colored hair hung in natural loose waves over her sloping, thin shoulders.
Her intelligent gaze emanated competence. She was shorter and more slender than Ginbei, so her height and weight were lower than 150 cm and 40 kg. As for how cute she was, I’d say that she could immediately start as an idol or a model.
Now I understood. This girl was definitely someone prez could be proud of. It seems I had forgotten what kind of person our president Nikaidou Arash was.
The reason Nasuhara-san, Ginbei, and Akiko stood there speechless could only be because our newly appointed dorm manager was barely over 12 years.
Why did I know that she was hardly older than 12? That’s easy. I knew her. She was extremely close to me.
“Imma introduce her.”
Prez, being the only one in good humor, patted our new dorm manager on the shoulder.
“I’m Takanomiya Arisa. Starting today, I’ve been a.s.signed as this dorm’s manager… By the way, Himenokouji Akito should know me very well, right?”
That’s right. I knew her. Of course I did. There was no way I wouldn’t.
“…Ehe. Please take good care of me. Okay, Akito-niisama?”
She gave us her best smile. The name of this girl with that slightly awkward smile was Takanomiya Arisa. She was from the same Takanomiya Family that had taken care of me until recently.
She was also my fiance.
Translator notes and references
None.